> And do you know one of the best ways to change the culture? Get more people from different backgrounds in the room. This is not always the case. I attended p

> And do you know one of the best ways to change the culture? Get more people from different backgrounds in the room. This is not always the case. I attended part of high school at a private school that practiced aggressive affirmative action. The result was that students quickly realized the gulf in academic caliber between most of the recipients of affirmative action and high performing students avoided working with them. Not only did it fail to rectify racist assumptions, it actually reinforced them by creating an environment where these assumptions held true. Affirmative action in the workplace risks playing out the same way. I'm definitely in favor of affirmative action in the form of more heavily recruiting at women's conferences, historically black universities, etc. but actually hiring candidates based on identity who would otherwise not be extended an offer certainly is a controversial practice - even in highly liberal places like Silicon Valley.